RO Question

Moana

Moana

Member
I am currently looking at getting an RO unit to use as drinking water and for use in a Saltwater Aquarium. The water coming directly from the tap in our home has a bit of a brown color to it. Although it is completely safe, this will not work for addition to a saltwater aquarium. So, my question is, will the average RO unit remove this brown color from my water. I have read several articles saying it will, but I just want to check with the pro's first.

Thanks.
 
sk8rdn

sk8rdn

Has been struck by the ban stick
Welcome to RS!
RO units typically use a carbon stage in their filtering system. As such it *should* remove discoloration, depending on what it causing it. However, it may shorten the lifespan of the media, as it is basically working double time to filter the same amount of "normal" tap water. Hope this helps!

....Salt Creep Is Everywhere!....
 
S

seabass

Member
check out bulk reef supply they have the RO units and the drinking water units also never really checked if they worked together but should help with some info.
 
sasquatch

sasquatch

Brunt of all Jokes~
PREMIUM
an ro filter will clean up about 99% of the mess with one big issue, the "mess" will quickly foul the pre and carbon filters and will probably lead to elevated TDS readings in a short time.
Suggest at minimum double pre and carbon filters changed when TDS start going up, the ro water will be great for drinking so add a T fitting to the outflow, 1 line to a stop valve for drinking water, the other side to a stop valve and from valve to a DI cannister for the tank, without the DI filter your really wasting your time for a reef.
 
Moana

Moana

Member
Thanks for all the input everyone. Looks like I will go with the 6 stage RO/DI unit from Bulk Reef Supply. The unit I am looking at has dual DI units. Will only need about 10 gallons per week, so hopefully the filters will not need to be changed too often. Oh, and nice Grog recipe sasquatch...course us Marines never added the lemon wedge. Scurvy was too scared to come within 10 feet of us.
 
sasquatch

sasquatch

Brunt of all Jokes~
PREMIUM
Moana said:
Thanks for all the input everyone. Looks like I will go with the 6 stage RO/DI unit from Bulk Reef Supply. The unit I am looking at has dual DI units. Will only need about 10 gallons per week, so hopefully the filters will not need to be changed too often. Oh, and nice Grog recipe sasquatch...course us Marines never added the lemon wedge. Scurvy was too scared to come within 10 feet of us.
Click to expand...
lol, then why worry about a little brown water, ps the lemon is just so you can substitute Tequila haha
 
yankieman

yankieman

Well-Known Member
The DI in RO/DI is a must for a reef tank IMHO and also the DI and RO filters are the most important to the whole system but to protect the RO/DI filters you need the PRE filters , having 2 DI filters is also a plus IMO ,, the Pre filters should last anywhere from 6 to 10 months ,, the RO filter can last up to 2 to 3 years depending on the amount of solids (TDS) coming in , the DI is the one you will have to watch closely,, it can last from one week to a couple months depending on the (TDS)coming in ,, you will need a TDS meter installed to know for sure what and when it is time to change your filters,,, IF you are going to use it as drinking water also you will need to install a pressure switch and pressure tank and I suggest a booster pump ,,,,and there is nothing wrong with drinking RO/Di water the Ro with out the DI would be better but both is ok,,,,,,,
 
steved13

steved13

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
The way I understand it, RO water is OK to drink RODI is not. Once everything has been removed and the water is pure (RODI), it is a good solvent and waiting to absorb. It may absorb minerals from your body (bad). If you integrate drinking water in your filter, you will "t" it before the DI and tap into the RO line. Often a carbon filter is used before the faucet.
 
yankieman

yankieman

Well-Known Member
Steve I dont want to disagree with you but think about what you said (Once everything has been removed and the water is PURE!!!! ) I my self would rather drink PURE!! water than any thing!!! I actually have done some research on this ,,, but I am no expert!!! so I can not totaly disagree with you ,,, but IMO RO/DI will not hurt you to drink!!
 
sk8rdn

sk8rdn

Has been struck by the ban stick
yankieman said:
Steve I dont want to disagree with you but think about what you said (Once everything has been removed and the water is PURE!!!! ) I my self would rather drink PURE!! water than any thing!!! I actually have done some research on this ,,, but I am no expert!!! so I can not totaly disagree with you ,,, but IMO RO/DI will not hurt you to drink!!
Click to expand...

Logically though, "pure" water from a spring is teeming with minerals that it collected along the way. Why wouldn't super cleaned water act the same way in trying to collect minerals?
Besides, spring water is as close to natural as man can get. Beyond that we tend to be trying to control nature (scary!).
I'm not expert and have not delve into research, just random thoughts... :)

....Salt Creep Is Everywhere!....
 
steved13

steved13

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
I'm no chemist, and the info I've read could be wrong...When I bought my RODI system I added on a drinking faucet and I got curious when I was told RODI isn't good for you, and I needed to split it after the RO, so I did some reading. From what I understand, water is one of the best solvents there is, water over time will breakdown most things. The more pure the water the better the solvent.

Think of water as a sponge, when water is pure, it's like a dry sponge, ready to absorb...when it still contains some minerals and salts...it's like a wet sponge, and can't absorb them from your body. Some articles said, RODI can cause osmotic shock (rarely), this is when the water absorbs faster than the cells can give and the cell walls are ruptured causing internal bleeding. The water can actually start to break down the minerals in your teeth. Some articles I read said By LAW in all 50 states, deionized water is to be labeled- DO NOT DRINK. Mostly they said it might cause problems over time, and mostly intestinal issues (diarrhea, stomach cramps)

Obviously you don't want it so impure that it contains harmful things or harmful levels, but too pure isn't good for you either.

All things considered, from what I read, the "bad for you" stuff seemed more credible, then the "it's fine to drink" stuff.

If you Google it you'll find the question asked on a lot of reef forums.
 
sasquatch

sasquatch

Brunt of all Jokes~
PREMIUM
steved13 said:
I'm no chemist, and the info I've read could be wrong...When I bought my RODI system I added on a drinking faucet and I got curious when I was told RODI isn't good for you, and I needed to split it after the RO, so I did some reading. From what I understand, water is one of the best solvents there is, water over time will breakdown most things. The more pure the water the better the solvent.

Think of water as a sponge, when water is pure, it's like a dry sponge, ready to absorb...when it still contains some minerals and salts...it's like a wet sponge, and can't absorb them from your body. Some articles said, RODI can cause osmotic shock (rarely), this is when the water absorbs faster than the cells can give and the cell walls are ruptured causing internal bleeding. The water can actually start to break down the minerals in your teeth. Some articles I read said By LAW in all 50 states, deionized water is to be labeled- DO NOT DRINK. Mostly they said it might cause problems over time, and mostly intestinal issues (diarrhea, stomach cramps)

Obviously you don't want it so impure that it contains harmful things or harmful levels, but too pure isn't good for you either.

All things considered, from what I read, the "bad for you" stuff seemed more credible, then the "it's fine to drink" stuff.

If you Google it you'll find the question asked on a lot of reef forums.
Click to expand...

Yes to all of that and Ill add this, in a home system the DI resin will in short order become a hot bed of bacteria
 
T

Tickyty

Member
sasquatch said:
an ro filter will clean up about 99% of the mess with one big issue, the "mess" will quickly foul the pre and carbon filters and will probably lead to elevated TDS readings in a short time.
Suggest at minimum double pre and carbon filters changed when TDS start going up, the ro water will be great for drinking so add a T fitting to the outflow, 1 line to a stop valve for drinking water, the other side to a stop valve and from valve to a DI cannister for the tank, without the DI filter your really wasting your time for a reef.
Click to expand...

Why do you feel that not having a DI canister would be wasting your time for a reef?
 
steved13

steved13

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
Tickyty said:
Why do you feel that not having a DI canister would be wasting your time for a reef?
Click to expand...

I know you were asking Sas, but my feeling is most of the stuff we test for as bad, IE: Nitrates, phosphates, and such are Ions, without de-ionizing the "new" water you may be putting more in than you're taking out.
 
T

Tickyty

Member
I came across this DI adder canister. Does anyone think this would be a good move to make or should I just purchase a different system all togeter?
 
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